KALAMAZOO -- Kalamazoo City Manager Kenneth Collard said a story in Tuesday's Kalamazoo Gazette included a sentence containing one of his quotes that did not precisely portray the question he had been asked.

The story was about a letter that Jim Mallery, acting chief of the Department of Public Safety, and Acting Deputy Chief Donald Webster wrote to the city attorney and the human-resources director in seeking an independent investigation of Collard and Assistant City Manager Fay Peek.

In their letter, Mallery and Webster wrote that Collard said in an April 23 meeting with Mallery and Deputy City Manager Jerri Barnett-Moore that Peek may be "clinically depressed'' and that Peek had "not been himself.''

Tuesday's story said: When a reporter asked Collard if he told anyone Peek may be clinically depressed and had not been himself, Collard responded, "No, I did not.''

In fact, the specific question posed to Collard on Monday by the Kalamazoo Gazette was: "Did you tell anyone that Fay was clinically depressed?''

Collard said his response to that question -- "No, I did not.'' -- is accurate.

While the two statements may appear to be similar, Collard said the distinctions are important.

"The article, as it appears, suggests that I lied and I did not,'' Collard said Tuesday. "A number of individuals of various interest groups are suggesting this demonstrates I offered a lie to the community.''

Collard said factions may attempt to use the issue to "suggest I should not make the decision on hiring the next chief.